Chicago's National Public Housing Museum to co-present conversation on race events with Smithsonian
Before opening its new building on the Near West Side, the National Public Housing Museum will partner with the Smithsonian and other organizations to host the latest installment of the “National Conversation on Race” in Chicago.
The nationwide series was created as part of a Smithsonian initiative, “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past,” which examines the history of racism while working toward an equitable future.
Running from Sept. 20-28, the free Chicago events will also be presented with the Center for Native Futures, the National Museum of Mexican Art and the South Side Community Art Center. Attendees will be embedded in diverse local neighborhoods, where they will experience tours, oral histories, visual art, dance and more.
A full schedule and registration forms can be found at nphm.org.
The conversation on race will expose people to the stories of public housing residents. It is part of a wealth of programming the National Public Housing Museum has planned ahead of its official reopening in the next several months at the historic Jane Addams Homes at 919 S. Ada St.
"In Chicago, the history of public housing in particular has been very racialized," said Tiff Beatty, associate director of the museum. "There were a lot of policies, due to segregation, and just a lot of discrimination that happened. So, the history of public housing and the history of race are intertwined."
On Sept. 20 and 21, the museum and its partners will host guided and self-guided tours of Bronzeville, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Lincoln Park, the Loop, Pilsen and Riverdale.
On Sept. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m., the Center for Native Futures will host a talk by Monica Rickert-Bolter and Joel Rickert. The sibling artists will discuss their graphic novel about Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who settled what is now considered the city of Chicago.
Also on Sept. 22, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., attendees can participate in the “Remembering Taylor Street” oral history listening session at Taylor Street Farms. Additionally, they can contribute to a historical memory and mapping project that was co-created by urban designer Paola Aguirre and Borderless Studios.
"The oral histories definitely are the backbone of the museum," Beatty said. "A lot of our programming has come out of listening to these stories to understand not only the history, but how history has shaped the community today and what the museum's role could be in the community."
The conversation on race will close with a performance from 6 to 9 p.m Sept. 28 at Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School. The audience will experience storytelling, cultural expression and historic preservation through the Chicago Footwork dance style, reenactments and more. Featured performers include the museum's "Artist as Instigator," Dr. ShaDawn “Boobie” Battle and the Place, Space, Werkz crew.